Sierra Leonean Who Lived Six Months in Belém Airport Has Flight Pushed to August

Overview

• Fatmata Sessay, 56, spent about six months sleeping in the terminal of Belém International Airport after reporting separate robberies on her route that left her without a passport and funds.
• The Ministério Público do Pará purchased a plane ticket that was first due for June 22 but officials remade the booking for August 15 after finding required travel documents were still missing.
• A Federal Court order on June 19 compelled state and federal agencies to secure consular support within 48 hours and to coordinate with Sierra Leone’s diplomatic representation for visas and paperwork.
• Police Federal continue to investigate the reported thefts while municipal services and Centro Pop provided daytime aid and local residents offered housing and food that the migrant largely declined for safety reasons.
• The case exposes practical hurdles for transcontinental migrants, including complex visa rules, the need for an international yellow fever vaccination card and the difficulty of consular coordination when a country’s representation is based abroad.